Editor's notes: what I actually use
Not a leaderboard. An operator who uses AI for real work daily, logging what they actually pay for and why. When products change, opinions get updated.
Trade field notesLast updated 2026-08-19
How I actually run client background checks with ChatGPT — no fortune-telling
Don't ask AI "is this client legit" — make it show you the evidence. Verify identity, then fit and buying signals, then grade A/B/C/D instead of fake…
🔍AI gathers evidence, humans decide🚦Grade A-D, no fake-precise scores📌Cite sources; separate facts from inference⚠️Not found ≠ scam; red flag ≠ verdict
Trade field notesLast updated 2026-08-18
How good is Codex really? I re-ran my trade workflow — no, it's not "100x"
A trade operator's real division of labor: ChatGPT thinks, researches, writes and draws; Codex touches files, batches, builds tools and maintains. Us…
🧠ChatGPT: research, think, write, see, draw🔧Codex: hands-on, batch, tools, maintenance🚫Don't burn agent quota on clicks⚖️Not 100x — but the impossible became tryable
What I useLast updated 2026-08-18
The AI I actually recommend in 2026 — from real use, not benchmarks
One subscription? Still ChatGPT Plus. Images: ChatGPT first, Doubao fine in China. Video: Seedance 2.0 first pick, MiniMax H3 closing fast. Claude is…
🏆Overall: ChatGPT Plus🖼Images: ChatGPT (in China: Doubao)🎬Video: Seedance 2.0🔥Closing fast: MiniMax H3 · Grok 4.6💪Strong but hard to access: Claude